By Luis Albert Rosales
OPINION—Democrats have attempted to shame Florida with their floridanophobia, but that will not stop Florida from succeeding as a state. In their attempts to villainize Florida within the Latino community in the United States, Latinos in Florida are speaking out. Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and Peruvians are rejecting the narrative that Florida is an unsafe place for Latinos or minority immigrants. Floridanos are taking a stand.
Florida was one of the first regions in the Americas conquered by Spain (known as Spanish Florida or La Florida); there is this historical association that many Latinos have for Florida. Other than Florida's connection to Spain, Latinos from the Caribbean, Caribeños, have also settled here and call this region their home. Ron DeSantis has been open to discussions with the Latino community as he has had many with minority Republicans within the State of Florida. Democrats have used immigration as a fearmongering tactic for decades, but it does reveal something about Democrats.
Democrats are culturally removed from the Latino community when there are cultural jabs at our customs, such as referring to Latinos as Latinx, undermining our stances on the economy, or insulting our catholic faith (most Latinos are Catholic). So disconnected as they are, they affirm that they have our best interests in their hearts. Ideally, we would desire to think so; however, the Democrats only rely on Latinos when it is election season, and if we do vote for them and they succeed, the economic results don't change for us.
Although Florida may have issues, most of them do not stem from corruption, authoritarianism, or police brutality. Florida has a unique perspective on managing the economy and its people. It is the America First mindset; Floridanos have a "Florida First" mindset. As we discussed cultural perspectives, the Floridano perspective differs from most American liberals. Although mainstream political pundits in the Democratic Party would affirm to make Florida more like California, specifically San Francisco, the people here, including Latinos, are taking a stand against Democrats.
When Democrats spread dread about how Florida is a horrible place, saying that Latinos should fear Republicans in Florida and telling Latinos they should reject their faith due to the rejection of conservatism—that is odd. It is unwarranted.
My time experiencing the political struggles and the economic rollercoaster in Florida has been great. In over twenty years in Florida, Ron DeSantis is the best governor I've ever lived under. It is odd for Democrats to lecture me regarding how horrible Florida is as a Latino who lives here. It reminds me that sometimes I need to put my phone down, disregard the ignorant political and racial views of people in some tower in New York City or some progressive newsroom in San Francisco, and enjoy the roller coasters right in front of me or the beaches an hour away.
They fear Latinos who may have an excellent opinion about Florida that contradicts many mainstream news media outlets. From 2000 to 2020, the population of Latinos and Hispanos increased by 3 million, according to the United States Census. The percentage of Latinos by population in Florida has increased for every census that has recorded Latinos and Hispanos. Considering this information, if the notion that Florida is racist and not safe for Latinos is prevalent in some Democrat circles, we may have to ask why Latinos would like to live in the State of Florida.
Two philosophies come to mind. If we are to take the narrative from Democrats seriously, then we can assume Latinos who live here don't care. Yet, the likely answer is that Latinos don't feel this heightened level of fear in the State of Florida because the government and Republicans are not a threat to most Latinos who live here. Both can be true—fair.
Now, we cannot tolerate floridanophobia. It is irrational and manipulative to push propaganda to scare young Latinos about what goes on in Florida. If that is the agenda that Democrats want to assert about my state, then I have no reason to take them earnestly.
